start the day on the ridiculist. erin burnett out front starts now. >>> breaking news, the dow posts the worst drop of the year, more than 200 points and michelle obama with a surprise appearance at the oscars. if you fell asleep, you missed it. was it bigger than a box office bulk bust error a total bust and health is not the reason pope benedict is stepping down. charges of sex, blackmail, and abuse in rome. do they add up. let's go out front. >>> we begin tonight with new developments. cnn has just learned that governor chris christie, a key 2016 republican presidential hopeful is not invited to the conservative political action conference in washington, d.c. next week. that's according to a source close to cpac and if you haven't heard of it is often considered a must-attend for anybody who wants to win the white house from the gop. senator marco rubio of florida, bobby jindal, former governor jeb bush, rick perry of texas, all already on the list. is this a major snub? this news breaking late this afternoon. how big of a snub is it? >> i think it makes a lot of sense for c pack.

. >> that's it for us. "erin burnett outfront" starts right now. >>> "outfront" next, the president hits the road to stop forced spending cuts, but is this another game of chicken with the gop, or do either have a real plan? plus, a missing woman found dead in a water tank on top of a hotel. a deadly mystery found out by hotel residents when the water tasted fun. it's right out of csi. >>> and new developments in the oscar pistorius case tonight. what the prosecution claims it found in the olympian's house. let's go "outfront." >>> good evening, everyone. i'm erin burnett. "outfront" tonight, a little less confrontation, a little more action. a lot of people want that. it was a song made famous by elvis presley, but apparently not something that is so popular in washington. we're nine days away now from the forced spending cuts that are going to take effect, and while we may be short on time, we are not short on blame. president obama for one was busy today with no less than eight local television interviews. the president, according to the white house, telling his side of the story directly

it but i don't miss it. >> she's hearty though. let's go back to erin in kansas city, missouri. this storm is big and powerful and knocked your microphone. >> reporter: it is very windy. we expect gusts up to 30 miles an hour today. so the governors of kansas and missouri are urging people to stay off the roads and take precautions because they want to make sure people know that this storm will be more dangerous than the storm they had here just last week, john. >> erin, it does look -- it looks nasty out there. she's been here a week and we sent her to two blizzards in the plains states. thank you, erin. >> who would have thought back to back. >>> four minutes past the hour. we're following a developing story four. it is horror in a hot air touri bird's-eye view of the scene, it plummeted to the ground. what do you know? >> reporter: this is just an awful incident that's not going to bode well for egypt's already ailing tourism industry and the hot air balloon industry. first and foremost, you have to think about the families of the 20 victims. 20 people killed according to this hot

beautiful. >> erin burnett "outfront" starts right now. >>> "outfront" next, breaking news. the dow posts its worst drop of the year. more than 200 points. >> plus, michelle obama with a surprise appearance at the oscars. if you fell asleep, you missed it. was it bigger than blockbuster or just a bomb. >> plus, let's go "outfront." >>> and we begin tonight with new developments. cnn has just learned that governor chris christie, a key 2016 republican presidential hopeful, is not invited to the conservative political action conference in washington, d.c. next week. that's according to a source close to c-pac, and c-pack, if you haven't heard of it, is often considered a must-attend for anybody who wants to win the white house from the gop. senator marco rubio of florida, louisiana governor bobby jindal, former florida governor jeb bush, rand paul of kentucky, rick perry of texas, they're all already on the list. is this a snub for chris christie? this news breaking late this afternoon. how big of a snub is it the. >> it makes a lot of sense for cpac, because frankly, chris christie was not

. >>> our special coverage of the pope's last day. erin burnett and chris cuomo anchor our coverage. >>> it has been almost 600 years since someone other than god knew exactly when a papacy would end, but right now exactly four hours remain in the reign of benedict xvi as leader of the catholic church. this hour is when he's going to board a helicopter and leave the vatican as pope for the very last time. >> the pomp and circumstance so many around the world want to watch and be a part of. welcome to our viewers around the world and here in the united states. this is cnn's special live coverage. this will be one of the titles that he's going to carry when he goes into retirement. i'm erin burnett. >> and i'm chris cuomo, next to erin. so we're waiting on this moment. less than an hour away. he will come out, there will be people waiting and waving. a lot of mixed emotions. he'll get on the helicopter bound forecastel gandolfo. that is the papal retreat south of rome. there will be thousands of town folks there, the faithful, waiting for him. remember that will be the last time they see pope

texas and found one woman who believes that owning a gun saved her life. >> reporter: everywhere erin goes now she says her gun is on her, after that terrifying night three weeks ago. >> i looked up and he was like this, pointing the gun straight at me and i'm just looking at the end of the gun. >> reporter: three men, one of them armed, broke into erin's house an hour outside of houston. she was alone with her 6-year-old son. out numbered and scared, the young mother had one thought. >> my gun, my gun, my gun. that was it. that was the only thing that was going to save me. >> reporter: erin tricked the intruders into her bedroom where she managed to grab her gun. >> i just turned and i shot. >> reporter: she shot one of them in the stomach. another wrestled her gun away, kneeing her in the eye, but all three fled. erin believes having a gun saved her life. erin did eventually call 911, but she wasn't able to until after the intruders had left. and a lot of women who believe they need guns for self-defense are concerned that help won't get there in time. >> line up your sites. >> repo

tracking the storm. erin mcpike is live in kansas city. we'll start with you. >> we're seeing snowfall two inches an houreer. very windy, looking at winds up to 30 miles per hour later today, and also, soledad, because of the snow last week, there is still a lot of heavy snow on branchs and power lines, snapping power lines, and lots of power outages throughout kansas city. we just got off the phone with kansas city power and light. they have doubled from 10,000 to 20,000, those numbers will go down, right now they can't get out on the road to repair the power lines. we're looking at power outages in texas. another 10,000 no oklahoma. the storm looking to be worst than last week, soledad. >> a little bit of a mess. thank you very much. appreciate that. let's get to jennifer delgado. where is this all going? >> soledad, right now, it's actually right on top of the midwest. you saw the live shot where erin is out of kansas. kansas city, taking a beating right now. coming down very good along interstate 70. toward the east in st. louis, a break from the heavy rain, of course, that will be

second, erin. this is hardly a news flash. father donald cousins wrote about this 20 years ago. father andrew greeley coined the phrase lavender mafia talking about a subculture within the catholic church. but barbie was quite right. this is focusing the electorate's attention on the mismanagement of the courier, the roman bureaucracy in the vatican, and no doubt, whether they're looking for a conservative or a liberal, i think that's beside the point. they're looking for a reformer. somebody who will come in and honestly appraise what's happened here. the many gaffes that were allowed under benedict's reign, and hopefully clear some of this up. >> scotland's bishop has resigned over allegations he abused four men. he said i'm not going to join them for the conclave in person. i do not wish media attention to be focused on me. but the vatican's own spokesman won't comment on whether he'll participate in the conclave or not. how can this be? >> they're good at spinning the story in the way they want to spin it. today, we heard in a press briefing that his resignation has been ac

tlekt." erin starts now. >> "outfront" next, country superstar mindy mccready found dead at age 37. dr. drew talked to her just ten days ago. we asked him if anyone could have saved her. >> and we're learning more on the night an olympian's girlfriend was shot and killed. and we speak to one of the couple's closest friends. >> and the president has a guys weekend. so why are some people all hot and bothered about it? let's go "outfront." >>> good evening. everyone. i'm erin burnett, out front, suicide of a music star. authorities believe country singer mindy mccready shot herself late yesterday on the front porch of herrome in hark harb. the violent end came as no surprise to her friends. early success was followed by a lot of struggles. 37 years full of suicide attempts, custody battles, even an appearance on a celebrity rehab show. her boyfriend died just a few weeks ago on the same perch where her body was found, also an apparent suicide. yesterday, she shot his dog before she killed herself. could anyone have saved her? a question so relevant for so many who suffer from substance a

twitter. as we stay, tweet m me @katebaldwin. >> i'm @jimacostacnn. >> that's it for us. "erin burnett outfront" starts right now. >>> "outfront" next, one day after the carnival "triumph" reaches dry land we're learning more about the fire that stranded more than 4,000 people at sea for five days. what caused it? could it have been prevented? >>> plus, a congressman caught tweeting to a 24-year-old bikini model during the state of the union address. who is she? we have the congressman's confession. >>> 1,000 people injured when a meteor entered the earth's atmosphere. absolutely shocking story and we have the video tonight. let's go "outfront." good friday evening. i'm erin burnett "outfront" investigating the cruise ship nightmare. what caused the crippling fire that left more than 4,200 people stranded at sea for five days and could it have been prevented? carnival "triumph" was towed to a ship yard in mobile, alabama. i looked at that ship as it was starting to be towed to that final dock. all of the passengers were unloaded earlier in the morning. now investigators are try

ktvu.com. [this broadcast captioned by erin c. mcclure] sofa... desk... you know what? why don't you go get some frozen yogurt. i got this. you're so sweet. you got this, right? i do got this. let us get everything off the shelf, and to your home.

francisco guillen, erin johnson, tina jewett and james jewett were all arrested and face several drug related charges including running drug house. canine units also found drugs hidden in someof the residents' cars. and the search of a motel room also recovered crystal meth. coming up on the kron 4 news at 8. anti gun protestors rally in palo alto.what they want off the streets, for good. >> legendary rapper mc hammer arrested at a dublin mall. what he says about the incident on twitter. >> and the east coast braces for another massive snowstorm. details on that. and more.next. >> gun control advocates gathered in palo alto saturday morning. they 're looking to capitalize on momentum that's been created for legislative action in the wake of the tragedy of sandy hook elementary school in connecticut. congresswoman jackie spear of san mateo echoed president obama's state of the union call for a vote inshe felt confident a vote. at least on background checks. could pass. >> we are going to have to rise up organically in communities across this country, telling the congress of the united

following this case for seven years. erin moriarity shows us why he still faces a fight for his freedom. >> how do so many people get it so wrong that you end up in prison for 40 years for something you didn't have anything to do with. my life was taken because a jury made a decision based off of lies. >> reporter: 28-year-old ryan ferguson is trying to clear his name. >> reporter: did you have anything do with it? >> absolutely not. i had nothing to do with it. >> reporter: he was accuse of killing a popular sports editor in 2001. there's no physical evidence that ties ferguson to the murder and he's always insisted he had nothing do with it even when interrogated as a teenager for hours. he was convicted pry playerly on the word of this man, a high school friend by the name of charles erickson. >> i looked up and ryan was over the victim. but >> reporter: but erickson says since then he's lied. >> help me out with this. somebody has said so you were making that up? >> yeah. >> for the first time exclusively to "48 hours" erickson explained why. >> i lied to cover my own behind because

hair. jeanne moos, cnn, new york. >> jeshe loves though stories about the dogs in new york. erin burnett "outfront" starts right now. >>> "outfront" next, shocking announcement out of the vatican today. >>> plus a power struggle in the republican party. in the end, who will be the voice of the gop? somebody might die in this fight. will rubio win or somebody like rand? >> and ted nugent has been invited to attend tomorrow's state of the union address. we have a preview of what he might say in a special report. let's go "outfront." >>> good evening. everyone. i'm erin burnett. tonight, the fourth most powerful man in the world resigns. pope benedict xvi surprised many of his 1.2 billion fall ors worldwide when he said he was going to step down at the end of the month, and the reason, his age. nearly one in four americans identifies as catholic. according to the church, the catholic population worldwide has about 15 million members in 2010. the latest year for which there was data. about 17% of the planet is catholic. now, a church is believed to be the third largest landowner in t

starts right now. >>> erin, thanks very much. good evening. tonight 11 days on the stand even one more twisted and shocking than the last. jodi arias on trial for her life once again turns the courtroom into a xxx theater and paints her boyfriend as something out of a horror movie. also dr. sanjay gupta digs into the diet that could protect you from heart disease. eating mediterranean and just maybe living longer. >>> keeping them honest with the man records show helped dozens of child rapists escape justice. it's all documented in tens of thousands of pages of previously secret personnel files covering 124 accused sexual predators who were shielded from justice with the authority and often with the knowledge of this person. you may ask yourself is he now awaiting trial on obstruction of justice charges? no, he's in rome getting ready to select the next pope. he's cardinal roger mahoney of los angeles. get this. he's complaining about people who are offended and lashing out at the media for reporting on the controversy. he's tweeting a lot about it, about pope benedict's final general

laugh because i have the tattoos now. and i love it. >> anderson cooper 360 starts now. >>> erin, thanks very much. a lot happening tonight. the worst tornado some have seen in years. a pope resigns, which hasn't happened in six cinchries. the whan said he hao killed osama bin laden reveals how his family lives in fear and what the government's protection. >> and murder in chicago have the city in shock. the killing of a 15-year-old girl, gunned down just days after performing at president obama's inauguration. her funeral was yesterday. let's go to ted rowlands with the latest in chicago. what do we know? >> the death of hadiya pendalson has struck a nerve not only in chicago but across the country. tonight, they have two men in custody. one is an 18-year-old man, the other, a 20-year-old man. both are members of a chicago gang. according to a police source, there was no witness who came forward to break this case. police officers worked on tips and were able to go out and find win witnesses. they do not have the murder weapon, according to the source. the charges that the two y

at 10:00, a special on the pope's last day, anchored by erin burnett and chris cuomo here in new york. this will be broadcast on cnni. this is history. you'll want to stay all day. back to rome for live coverage of pope benedict's last day. >>> and forced spending cuts, it appears just about everyone in washington believes this ax will drop. a regular guy with an irregular heartbeat. the usual, bob? not today. [ male announcer ] bob has afib: atrial fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem, a condition that puts him at greater risk for a stroke. [ gps ] turn left. i don't think so. [ male announcer ] for years, bob took warfarin, and made a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. but not anymore. bob's doctor recommended a different option: once-a-day xarelto®. xarelto® is the first and only once-a-day prescription blood thinner for patients with afib not caused by a heart valve problem, that doesn't require routine blood monitoring. like warfarin, xarelto® is proven effective to reduce the risk of an afib-related stroke. there is limited data on how these

a special report. let's go "outfront." >>> good evening. everyone. i'm erin burnett. tonight, the fourth most powerful man in the world resigns. pope benedict xvi surprised many of his 1.2 billion fall ors worldwide when he said he was going to step down at the end of the month, and the reason, his age. nearly one in four americans identifies as catholic. according to the church, the catholic population worldwide has about 15 million members in 2010. the latest year for which there was data. about 17% of the planet is catholic. now, a church is believed to be the third largest landowner in the world, so it's hard to estimate what the church owns and what it's worth. economists estimate annual spending just by the united states by the catholic church and its entities was about $170 billion in one year, 2010. sister simone campbell is the executive director of the national catholic justice lobby. brian finny worked for opus dei. scary guys. let me start with you, sister simone. i wart to start with a serious issue. $3.3 billion has been paid out by the church in the past 15 years to

not to do it during work hours. "anderson cooper" starts now. >>> erin, thanks very much. good evening, everyone. we begin with breaking dmus and a warning for tens of millions of americans. three simple words that could save your life. do not travel. that's because if you do, you could get stuck in images like that. if you do, rescuers could get stuck trying to reach you. that warning, by the way, do not travel, comes straight from the national weather service. texas, oklahoma, kansas, all getting hammered by a storm even more punishing than the one last week. we're talking about more snow in some places that people have seen in the last 42 years. in one part of oklahoma, drivers are stranded with snow piling up to 6 feet high in some places. details now on the drivers and the storm they're stuck in from chad myers. >> if your left too late to get home from work or from wherever you're coming from, school, whatever, you very well may have had a very hard time getting home because the snow totals were coming down so fast. amarillo, in 24 hours, picked up 19 inches of snow, all the way

things like that. >> we're getting that answer right now. >> they're thinking erin burnett is the worst person ever asking that question. >> we only know what we can see as the sun is setting in rome. here's the helicopter that holds pope benedict xvi taking a looping route, going back north before it's coming back south to go to where castel gandolfo is. on the ground thousands and thousands of people looking up at a man they will never again see as pope. the bells are ringing, the sun is setting, literally and symbolically for pope benedict xvi. this is a 15-minute ride to castel gandolfo, the summer residence of the pope. he's going to do something more ceremonious there. >> the popemobile is waiting and he'll have the final goodbye where he will be on the balcony and say goodbye to all the people who have kong debatcongr there. >> when the swiss guard leaves cast l gandolfo, that is the outward sign pope benedict xvi is no longer pope. >> because you love this part of it, you're obsessed with it. >> i am. >> so walk us through it. i know they could have up to ten days before they st

is erin. nice to have you with us. your baby is 3 months old? >> right. >> we saw her in the green room. she's so beautiful. she didn't come in because we were afraid if she woke up she might cry. what's good about yoga after birth? >> yoga is about the core and stress relief. as all new moms know those are the things we want the most, stress release and core. >> getting rid of the belly. >> you're doing well. >> she's doing great. >> what are some of the things you should do. >> i will have her stand in the center of the mat. with nursing, holding the baby, take your arms up, just open the shoulders. she's standing hands to feet. lifting up like this can help you open up and feel good and open up the shoulders. >> drawing in her tummy? >> that's a great question. as a matter of fact you do it better if you pull in your tummy and lift up. it's the core that helps you open your chest. >> how long do you hold the pose? >> as long as it feels good as a new mom. you can take your hands down. she'll turn this way to show the one that for me with my two children who are 3 and 1, a lot ol

from texas girl erin who said, just saw it from market and fifth. and kept floating said there was a trail of bluish white light for 10 to 20 seconds. and this from angela. we were on 280 heading north when we saw a bright, falling star as my kids call it. if you snap a picture or video we would love to see it. send it to you report at kgo-tv.com. >>> it is unlikely that a meteor will hit your home. if it does, are you covered by insurance? michael finney got some answers. >> that is one of the things that is definitely covered under the homeowner insurance policy. most people don't realize it is because it doesn't happen often, but if it does, it is something that is covered. >> you hope it doesn't. an insurance industry spokesman says damage from the meteor concussion like what we saw in russia would be covered. other events covered under the homeowners insurance include volcanos, lightning strikes and falling satellites. >>> after eight days aboard the triumph two women are home. julie spring gel and her mother -- julie spring gel -- pr nie gle and her mother connie lewis flew in.

. this from texas girl erin who said, just saw it from market and fifth. and kept floating said there was a trail of bluish white light for 10 to 20 seconds. and this from angela. we were on 280 heading north when we saw a bright, falling star as my kids call it. if you snap a picture or video we would love to see it. send it to you report at kgo-tv.com. >>> it is unlikely that a meteor will hit your home. if it does, are you covered by insurance? michael finney got some answers. >> that is one of the things that is definitely covered under the homeowner insurance policy. most people don't realize it is because it doesn't happen often, but if it does, it is something that is covered. >> you hope it doesn't. an insurance industry spokesman says damage from the meteor concussion like what we saw in russia would be covered. other events covered under the homeowners insurance include volcanos, lightning strikes and falling satellites. >>> after eight days aboard the triumph two women are home. julie spring gel and her mother -- julie spring gel -- pr nie gle and her mother connie lewis flew i

. eastern time, a cnn's special on the pope's last day, anchored by erin burnett and chris cuomo in new york and as well as christiane amanpour. it will be simulcast on cnni as well. >>> happening right now, the world and its 1.2 billion catholics witnessing a sitting pope in his final hours hours o throne of saint peter. >> in eight hours he will become pope emeritus. before that happens there is a lot else that will go on today. the pope, as we say, at this moment meeting many, many of the cardinals. many of them have gathered in rome. some are still arriving for the expected conclave that will happen probably a week, week and a half from now. we don't know the exact start date. the pope has been meeting and greeting each one of them, sharing a moment. earlier in the day, about 45 minutes ago, he did deliver some brief remarks to them. let's take a quick listen. >> translator: personally i would like to say that i will continue to serve you in prayer, in particular in the coming days, so that you may be touched by the holy spirit in the election of a new pope and hope that the lor

erin mcpike is in kansas city, missouri, and meteorologist jennifer delgado is tracking the storm in our weather center. let's begin with erin in the nation's heartland, good morning, erin, it looks terrible. >> reporter: good morning, carol. we're getting about two inches of snow an hour, but what i want to tell you are the power outages. we talked to kansas city power and light all morning and the power outages have doubled and tripled since we first started talking to them, up to 35,000 power outages just in the kansas city metro area. there are also about 10,000 power outages in texas and another 10,000 or so in oklahoma. that's a problem for those getting heat so that's something to watch out for. also around me it's getting harder to see if you can look a little bit behind me here you don't see very many cars on the road. however the cars that we have seen have gotten stuck, one of them rolled down the hill so it is very dangerous. we also know from kansas governor sam brownback that there was a second death in this storm reported last night. so dangerous storm, carol. >> hopef

. erin you see was kellan's sister. >> it's priceless to know that a part of something you love so much can continue on and not just continue on in existence but be the life force for someone else. i don't know if there's any words to describe that. >> reporter: they say they fell in love almost immediately. >> instantly. >> i have a vividly in my head just looking over, feeling her mom hug me and just staring in her eyes. >> reporter: to some it's a strange love. but they had to give it a shot. when you are young and in love, you follow your heart. erik johnson, komo 4 news. >> extraordinary. >> tears. >> incredible story and our thanks to komo for bringing it to us. >>> coming up here on the broadcast we'll take a little bit of a left turn in the outrage of the latest "sports illustrated" swimsuit. not outrage over what they're wearing but who they're posing with. >>> glide on. ginger is flying high in her latest adventure, this time soaring into the skies over colombia. >>> coming up in "fixation" best moment in the slam dunk competition. deep it here. much more coming up. ♪ we lov

this so much, i love you and i'm sorry. country singer erin church is this year's most-nominated artist. nominees announced this morning, church leads with seven followed by hunter hays with six and tied with five nominations a piece are miranda lambert and tailor swift. now, to the oscars. show producers announced new presenters all packed winners. halle barrier and reese witherspoon will be taking the stage whit airs february 24th here on abc. if you haven't already go to otrc.com to make your picks and cast a ballot, then compare them with friends on&o:. >> and abc 7 is the only place to watch the oscars coming up very soon now. >> and still ahead at 4:00 corruption scandal of a red light camera. what it could mean for ticket holders in the bay area. >> a night player after sea for thousands of passengers in a crippled cruise ship and apology from carnival cruise. and... >> high school students have the cans to ask chief justice anything. >>> breaking news in san jose. sky 7 is live over the scene. that is the image now. fleece are looking the fifth homicide of the year. we're being

. back in a moment. erin: it's my job, trying to make sure that justice is done. frank: great day for the family business. ♪ in family. ♪ don't wait for presidents' day to save on a new mattress. sleep train's presidents' day sale is on now. save up to $500 on beautyrest and posturepedic. get a sealy queen set for just $399. even get 3 years interest-free financing on tempur-pedic. plus, free delivery, set-up, and removal of your old set. keep more presidents in your wallet. sleep train's presidents' day sale is on now. superior service best selection lowest price guaranteed. ♪ sleep train ♪ ♪ your ticket to a better night's sleep ♪ david letterman is next.. with ravens coach john harbaugh. our next newscast is tomorrow morning at 4-30. >>> letterman is next with ravens' coach john harbaugh. >> what are they gonna talk about? >> nothing. short interview. >> we'll see you tomorrow. ( band playing "late show" theme ) >> from the heart of broadway broadcasting across the nation and around the world it's the "late show" with david letterman. tonight... plus paul shaffer an

weather center. stand by. i wantxdÑi to go first to erin mcpike, who i was e-mailing earlier saying, please stay warm, you say you haveq been so far. by the looks of yourxd surroundings, it looks chilly.xi >> reporter: the worst of the storm rightlp no7Ñ" is over. it looks to be sleeting a little bit right now. but the storm itself is over. that does notfá éñ mean the pai e1 tell you. we haveok gotq about 38,000 pow outages still in kansas city. about 10,000 more infá texas an more+ in oklahoma and let me sw you why, brooke. look at Ñie1this. the snow here is really, really heavy. if you get hit with something like this, it is reallya5ñr goo and bringing down power lines. ñ outages. also, 20 miles south of here, in belton, missouri, there was a whole building that collapsed because of this heavy snow. you know, last week, we were in wichita, and we sawu peo#s+Ñ rooftops, because you want to get thatxd heavy snow off, so y building collapses like we had earlier today. brooke? >> erin m÷cpike, to all the people in kansas Ñicity, put th snowballs down. move further away

., a cnn special anchored by erin burnett and chris cuomo in new york and kris ychristiane amanp rome. >> i want to say happy birthday to teddy and joseph, your 6-year-old twins. >> it's a big day back home. thanks for that. >> a big day in the berman household. that is it for "early start." >> "starting buoyapoint with so o'brian" starts right now. >>> welcome, everybody. our starting point this morning, the pope's final day as head of the catholic church. in just about seven hours the office of the pope will be empty when benedict xvi is officially in retirement. this morning he blessed the cardinals who will pick his successor. >> translator: may he bless all of you in the name of the father and the son and the holy spirit. >> we're live in rome this morning with the historic moment and what it means for the church. we'll be talking with monsignor rick hilgartner of the u.s. conference of catholic bishops. senior simone campbell will join us and father edward beck is our guest. and time is running out. two proposals meant to avoid drastic spending cuts but they're both expected to

appreciate you're taking the time. >> thanks, erin. it's been pretty interesting watching the republican party recently. a little bit like watching a pay per view wrestling match. rand paul and marco rubio, two rebuttals to the president from one party. is that a good or bad thing for the party? >> we're not a monolithic party. we have a diversity of opinions just like they do in the democratic party. the president is in the more liberal wing, and there are moderates who disagree with him on things. listen, we have work to do, after losing a presidential election two cycles in a row, to a president that had a $16 trillion debt and an 8% unemployment rate, that's not good, so there are different views on how to get us back on tract. the good news is we control a good majority of the state legislatures and 30 out of the 50 governors are republicans. we have been gaining for the last four years. so i think we're winning in some areas. at the national level, we clearly have work to do. >> all right, and look, i have to give you credit. you came out, 30 of 50 governors. let me ask you, becaus